skills/existential-birds/beagle/exunit-code-review

exunit-code-review

SKILL.md

ExUnit Code Review

Quick Reference

Issue Type Reference
Async tests, setup, describe, tags references/exunit-patterns.md
Behavior-based mocking, expectations references/mox-boundaries.md
Bypass, Swoosh, Oban testing references/test-adapters.md
What to mock vs real, Ecto sandbox references/integration-tests.md

Mock Boundary Philosophy

Mock at external boundaries:

  • HTTP clients, external APIs, third-party services
  • Slow resources: file system, email, job queues
  • Non-deterministic: DateTime.utc_now(), :rand

DO NOT mock internal code:

  • Contexts, schemas, GenServers
  • Internal modules, PubSub
  • Anything you wrote

Review Checklist

Test Structure

  • Tests are async: true unless sharing database state
  • Describe-blocks group related tests
  • Setup extracts common test data
  • Tests have clear arrange/act/assert structure

Mocking

  • Mox used for external boundaries (HTTP, APIs)
  • Behaviors defined for mockable interfaces
  • No mocking of internal modules
  • verify_on_exit! in setup for strict mocking

Test Adapters

  • Bypass for HTTP endpoint mocking
  • Swoosh.TestAdapter for email testing
  • Oban.Testing for background job assertions

Database

  • Ecto.Adapters.SQL.Sandbox for isolation
  • Async tests don't share database state
  • Fixtures/factories used consistently

Valid Patterns (Do NOT Flag)

  • Mock in unit test, real in integration - Different test levels have different needs
  • Not mocking database in integration tests - Database is internal
  • Simple inline test data - Not everything needs factories
  • Testing private functions via public API - Correct approach

Context-Sensitive Rules

Issue Flag ONLY IF
Not async Test actually needs shared state
Missing mock External call exists AND no mock/bypass
Mock internal Module being mocked is internal code

Before Submitting Findings

Use the issue format: [FILE:LINE] ISSUE_TITLE for each finding.

Load and follow review-verification-protocol before reporting any issue.

Weekly Installs
20
GitHub Stars
39
First Seen
Feb 9, 2026
Installed on
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